


Parallel Affairs

by Amrywiol



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:54:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27841813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amrywiol/pseuds/Amrywiol
Summary: Annie gets a boyfriend, Jeff gets a girlfriend. They have to work out what this means for the Jeff & Annie of it all.
Relationships: Annie Edison & Jeff Winger, Annie Edison/Jeff Winger, Annie Edison/OC, Jeff Winger/OC
Comments: 44
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to the crowd at the Discord server for the patience and enouragement they've shown while I've been mulling over this, and especially to Bequeathment Sperm and Raj Sound for some invaluable beta reading guidance. Thanks guys!

(Winter Break Year 3 - the week before the start of the spring semester, offices of the Greendale Therapeutic Alliance)

She was about five foot eight, maybe two or three years younger than him and had shoulder length auburn hair tied back in a ponytail, a slim figure that was curvy in all the right places and was currently dressed casually with a face free of make-up.

Jeff suspected it was wildly inappropriate to approach someone in the waiting room of his therapy practice, but his new anti-anxiety meds (“remember Jeff, these are for emergencies only - you should only take one when you are feeling overwhelmed and unable to manage through conventional means,” his therapist had said) were making him feel _amazing_ and he couldn't bring himself to care. In any case, Claire - he extracted her name after about 30 seconds of pleasant conversation which seemed to bring a smile to her face - didn’t seem to mind either. When his therapist called him in less than five minutes later he made a point of telling her he often liked to wind down from a session by going to the Starbucks just up the road. Claire’s eyebrow shot up in surprise, Jeff merely threw a cocky grin at her as he walked into his therapist’s office.

Claire arrived at the Starbucks about five minutes after Jeff. “You look like a skinny latte sort of girl,” he said with a winning smile as he passed her a drink - whether it was his new meds or simply his natural braggadocio, the idea that she would not turn up had simply never occurred to him. A small smile spread across her face.

“Thanks,” she said. “But for future reference, I usually have a hazelnut cappuccino.”

“Ouch - so near and yet so far!” Jeff winced in fake pain while inwardly noting the ‘future reference’ bit.

“I just want you to know,” Jeff said, a note of fake seriousness in his voice. “I’m not usually in the habit of approaching women in therapist’s offices, however beautiful they are -” he waved his cup meaningfully in Claire’s direction, she sipped from hers to avoid giving him the satisfaction of a reaction. “-But when I saw you I realised I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I didn’t give you the opportunity. After all, my therapist is encouraging me to share more.” This time his cocky grin was back in full force.

“And I’d like _you_ to know,” she said. “I’m not usually in the habit of giving the time of day to guys who hit on me when I’m not looking for somebody. But I thought - what the heck? He’s passably cute-” Jeff fake winced again. “-And he already knows I’m in therapy so I won’t have to hide how messed up I am from him, so why not?”

“In that case-” Jeff reached over and took hold of her hands while looking directly into her eyes with a deeply serious expression. “ - I have to warn you, I have a great many complex and fascinating issues that my therapist and I are making remarkable progress with - she even implied my case may be publishable.” Jeff let go of her hands and relaxed back into his seat, once again smiling at his own wit.

“That is _so_ reassuring,” Claire replied dryly, an amused sparkle in her eyes.

Conversation moved on to more personal matters -

“What exactly is a legal consultant?”

Jeff had rather hoped not to get the follow on question, but -

“It’s a lawyer who currently isn’t practising but whose skills and expertise are too valuable to the firm to be let go.”

“And why aren’t you practising?”

Jeff _really_ hadn’t wanted to get this follow on question, but still -

“The State Bar discovered some accreditation issues with my undergraduate degree, but not until after I’d already cleared law school and been practising for several years. They suspended me until the anomalies were cleared up, and I’m currently splitting my time between plugging the gaps at a local college and working as a consultant. But enough about me - what do you do?”

She shuddered slightly. “I teach science to hormonal teenagers at Riverside High for a pittance of a salary and skyrocketing stress levels. Hence therapy…”

Jeff suddenly looked very interested. “Science? Does that include biology?”

And on to lighter issues - she was a fan of Marvel movies, he was not and an amusing and spirited argument followed on from this. When he said he preferred the comic books it was her turn to good humouredly mock his taste.

After a while, Jeff made a point of looking at his watch and observed that this was an argument that could only be settled over dinner. She apologised, saying that with school having restarted the previous week she was supposed to be spending the evening marking homework.

“The weekend will be all mine though,” she added pointedly. 

Jeff handed her a business card. “Text me to let me know when you’ll be free and I’ll set something up,” he added.

She turned the card over as though examining it for secrets and put it in her purse. “I just may do that,” she said with a soft smile. “Today was more fun than I expected.”

She got up, he followed her. She closed in for a very quick hug. “See you soon, Jeff.” 

“And you, Claire.” She broke the hug while Jeff was still considering if it was worth taking the risk of closing in for a kiss. To give her a modicum of space, Jeff made a show of tidying up his things for a few seconds while she left. He left shortly after and turned out of the shop in the opposite direction.

XXXXXX

By the time Thursday arrived without Claire getting in touch, Jeff was prepared to write it off as a pleasant interlude that would not be repeated - it’s not as if she’d given him her number after he’d given her his after all, so short of catching her again at the therapists’ office the ball was entirely in her court. Until that is he got a text message a little before six o’clock -

**_Tomorrow night is clear if you’re still interested? C.S._ **

Jeff was momentarily baffled about who “C.S.” could be, until it occurred to him that at no point had he found out Claire’s surname and she’d presumably not realised this. He smiled slightly to himself, made a phone call to one of his favorite restaurants and messaged her back about 10 minutes later.

**_I’ve booked a table for 7:30. Where can I pick you up? J.W(inger)_ **

The reply came barely a minute later -

**_1187 West Abernethy. C.S(andwell):-)_ **

Jeff grinned. _Well, that’s a good sign…_

**_I’ll pick you up at seven, bring an appetite:-)_ **

XXXXXX

(Friday evening, 6:58PM)

Jeff wasn’t particularly surprised to see that the address Claire had given him was a large apartment block, though it did make him wonder slightly how he was supposed to find her without her apartment number. _I hope she isn’t expecting me to phone up as though I’m some sort of Uber driver -_ the thought was cut off by the sight of two young women standing in the lobby. Jeff smiled to himself, parked a short distance up the road, did a final check of his hair in the rear view mirror and proceeded to leave the car.

XXXXXX

Claire was waiting in the lobby with her roommate, Zoe. Claire had dressed for her date, Zoe was in casual wear.

“Don’t forget,” Claire said. “Say hello and then leave.”

“I know,” her friend replied. “Makes sure he knows there’s somebody who’ll phone the cops if he doesn’t bring you - _holyshitclaire!_ ” Jeff had got out of the car and was walking - swaggering rather - to the door and had waved to acknowledge he’d seen Claire. “Why did you let me dress like a slob? That dude’s smoking!” She hurriedly smoothed out her t-shirt and straightened her posture as Jeff walked towards the door.

“Have you considered you answered your own question?” Claire answered dryly, outwardly amused but privately gratified by her friend’s reaction. _It’s always nice to get a second opinion,_ she thought.

Jeff stopped dead as he came through the door and blatantly scanned Claire up and down. As he took in every detail - knee length black, sleeveless dress; matching hose and heels; hair loose and discreet make up; jacket and purse over one arm - he allowed a frankly lascivious grin to spread across his face.

“Damn,” he said. “It’s just as well I booked a _really_ nice restaurant.”

Claire flushed slightly under the intensity of Jeff’s regard, but used the opportunity to look right back at him - charcoal black suit (obviously made to measure) over an almost luminously white shirt and a tie the exact same shade of blue as his eyes, rounded off with a cashmere overcoat worn over the shoulder. _I bet that coat alone costs more than a week’s salary for a public school teacher,_ she thought to herself.

“You don’t look too bad yourself Jeff,” she remarked. “What are your plans for -”

“Hi, I’m Zoe!” Her friend had jumped in front of her with a broad smile on her face and thrusting out her hand for Jeff to shake.

“Er, hi?” Jeff was temporarily thrown off his game as he automatically took her hand while casting a confused glance at Claire.

Part of Claire was somewhat pleased to see Jeff knocked off his stride.

“She’s my roommate,” she said. “She insisted on meeting you, something about confirming I actually had a date, or something.”

“Well?” Jeff’s cocky grin was back as he temporarily focussed all his attention on the other woman.

“Eeee-” Zoe was blushing beetroot red and quite speechless.

“And that’s our cue,” Claire said, stepping forward to pull the other woman into a brief hug. “Good night Zoe, remember - I’ll be back by eleven.” She let her roommate go and stepped forward, smiling at Jeff who had moved to hold the door.

“What happens if you're not back by eleven?” Jeff asked.

“She calls the cops.”

“Ouch,” Jeff winced as he offered her his arm.

XXXXXX

Jeff walked Claire to the car, then drove to a small car park near to the restaurant. Conversation on the journey was light and impersonal - talking about their days, that sort of thing. At the car park, he offered her his arm again and walked her to the restaurant where they were effusively greeted by the owner - over the years he had seen Jeff arrive with enough attractive young women that the sight of another one did not phase him in the slightest.

They ordered food and wine. They ate, drank and talked. As the first bottle of wine was emptied and replaced by a second, the conversation got increasingly flirtatious and personal. Whether it was down to his natural charm or his new medication, Jeff was feeling at the top of his game ( _I’m absolutely nailing this!_ He thought to himself at one point as Claire gasped in shock and then burst out laughing at a particularly risqué anecdote).

As the meal wind down and dishes were cleared away and coffee served, conversation paused slightly while eyes met.

“Thanks Jeff,” Claire said. “This has been a better evening than I expected it to be.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Jeff said dryly, while taking a sip of his coffee. Claire just smiled back at him. “The evening doesn’t have to be over yet, there’s a really nice bar next door, unless you’d rather go somewhere else…” the lascivious grin was back.

Claire smiled again, shook her head. “I meant it when I said Zoe would call the cops if I wasn’t back on time.”

“Well, we still have-” Jeff’s eyes opened wide with surprise as he looked at his watch and realised how much time had passed. “-An hour. Maybe one drink while we wait for my service to collect us?” He said. Claire nodded her agreement.

XXXXXX

The bar was small, eclectic and busy. He ordered Scotch, she ordered a Martini. They had to stand very close to each other to hold anything resembling a conversation, neither seemed to mind. Jeff’s “service” when it arrived consisted of a young man on a foldaway motor scooter who packed it into the trunk of Jeff’s Lexus and drove the car for him while he and Claire relaxed in the back.

“I’ve never heard of this service before,” Claire said.

Jeff took her hand discreetly, below the driver’s line of sight. “It’s more expensive than a taxi, cheaper and more convenient than overnight parking or a DUI on your record,” he explained as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. He casually started stroking his thumb gently against the back of her hand.

“Oh, that makes sense.” Claire said. She crossed her legs, and noted with a glow she chose to ascribe to several glasses of wine and a Martini the way his eyeline dropped to follow the movement before rising again.

“Yeah,” said Jeff. “They’ve been operating for a few months now. They’re a lifesaver on nights like this.” Jeff’s eye line had shifted to her lips. She licked them lightly, causing them to shine in the faint light.

“I really must get their number,” she said, adjusting the grip of her hand slightly so that their fingers were intertwined.

“I’m sure the driver can give you a business card.” Jeff said, looking down at her hands as she adjusted the grip, finding himself surprisingly captivated by her nail varnish, as though it was the first time he’d really seen it that night.

“We’re at the first address you gave me,” the driver said. Jeff and Claire both looked up in surprise - neither of them had noticed the car approach Claire’s apartment block. Jeff asked the driver to wait a few minutes as they let go of each other’s hands, unfastened their seatbelts, and stepped out of the car. Jeff walked her to the door of the building. They turned and faced each other.

“Tonight was fun, Jeff.” She said with a smile. Their faces were only inches apart.

“Yes it was,” he said.He leaned forward, she tilted her head up slightly. Their lips met in a soft kiss. Before he could deepen it, she pushed gently against his chest. They separated slightly.

“Are you sure…” Jeff gasped.

“I really do have to go,” she said, still smiling. “I wasn’t joking when I said Zoe would call the cops.” 

“Good point.” He said, stepping back half a pace. “We really should do this again sometime.”

“I’d like that,” she stepped forward - to hug him this time, without a kiss - and back again. Good night Jeff.” She stepped through the doors of her apartment block, gave him one last smile and wave, and walked to the elevators. Jeff waved back and walked to the waiting driver. _Dammit - I was so close!_ He thought ruefully to himself as he climbed into the back seat of his car.

XXXXXX

“So, how did it go?” Zoe said as Claire walked through the door, she got up, fetched a bottle of wine and two glasses and returned to the sofa. She unscrewed the cap of the bottle and filled both glasses.

Claire took off and hung up her jacket, walked over to the sofa and sat next to her friend.

“Aaaah,” she gasped in relief as she slipped off her heels. “Thanks,” she added as Zoe passed her one of the wine glasses.

“Pretty well, I think.” She added, finally answering her friend’s question. “We went to a restaurant in the city - a nice one - where he showed off slightly how well he knew the owner and then a bar afterwards.”

“Did he behave himself?” Zoe asked. “I know you were worried he was just another good looking douchebag who was only after one thing.”

“Oh he definitely wants to sleep with me.” Zoe raised her eyebrows slightly at the smile that accompanied this. “He made no secret about that,” Claire added. “But he wasn’t a jerk about it and seemed invested in making sure I had a good time.”

She thought for a moment, taking a sip of wine as she did so. “In fact, he didn’t even sulk when I ended our kiss with a goodbye and came inside the building.”

That’s ni-” Zoe started to reply before abruptly sitting upright, almost spilling her wine in the process. “Wait - you _kissed_? Ohmigod Claire, how was it?”

“Nice.” Claire had a satisfied expression on her face.

“So, will you be seeing him again?” Zoe actually sounded excited.

“That depends - if he gets in touch, we might do. If he doesn’t I had a nice meal in a nice restaurant with a cute guy. It still beats marking 11th-graders’ homework.”

“You go girl,” Zoe clinked her glass against Claire’s in a toast.

XXXXXX

As it happened Jeff messaged her as soon as he’d got home and had a shower, a simple one liner saying he’d had a great evening and hoped she had too. Refusing to stress over waiting for a reply, he’d gone to sleep immediately after. She replied in the middle of the following morning apologising for not replying sooner as she’d only just got up but yes, she’d enjoyed herself too. They texted backwards and forwards occasionally throughout the weekend and after Jeff started back at Greendale the following Monday - fortunately the study group were used to seeing Jeff with his face in his phone so nobody noticed anything unusual. Britta was even snarkier than usual, but Jeff was in such a good mood that he was happy to indulge her.

At one point, Jeff reminded her that he would be in Starbucks after his usual Tuesday afternoon therapy session. This time, when Claire turned up a hazelnut cappuccino was waiting for her, accompanied by a smug grin on Jeff’s face as she realised he’d remembered their conversation from the previous week. This time though when Jeff said it might be a good idea to adjourn to another venue after they’d finished their coffees Claire agreed, with the sole proviso that the evening had absolutely nothing whatsoever in common with marking high schoolers’ homework.

He grinned, said he had just the thing in mind and took her to a bar where the food was tapas-style, the beer brewed on the premises and the music live jazz. The conversation was light, amusing and increasingly flirtatious as the night went on. This time, they stayed out almost an hour past Claire’s self-imposed deadline and although she turned down the hint implied when he mentioned his apartment was closer to the bar than hers, the goodnight kiss when he dropped her off at her apartment block was both full on the lips and a great deal longer than the previous one.

“Are you sure…” Jeff gasped as it finally wound down. He vaguely remembered saying the same thing on his previous date, but blamed the kiss for short-circuiting his brain.

“It’s a school night for teachers too,” she sighed, her face almost as flushed as his. She looked conflicted for a moment, then leaned forward slightly for another, quick, kiss.

“Goodnight Jeff,” she said as they separated. She wriggled free of his grip and headed to the door of her building, waving goodbye as she passed through.

Jeff watched her go. _I’d better start planning next weekend,_ he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is following immediately after, please don't miss it!


	2. Chapter 2

(3rd Year, spring semester, 1st week back)

It was the first Tuesday of the Spring semester and Annie was shopping - alone - at the Greendale Walmart for Apartment 303. When she had first moved in she had tried to insist they all went together, but she had quickly learnt it was quicker, less stressful and led to a healthier diet if she just took the boys’ money and shopped by herself. And cheaper, definitely cheaper - this morning for example she was looking at the dessert counter and wondering if she had saved enough to treat them all to a chocolate cake.

“Hi, Annie isn’t it?” She jumped slightly with surprise at the unfamiliar voice. She turned around - the speaker was a guy about her age, slim, about six feet tall and with sandy blond hair. He had an apologetic smile on his face, as she collected herself Annie noticed the smile gave him cute dimples in his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shock you - I’m Josh? Josh Canavan?, we’re in professor Chowdhury’s Bookkeeping class together?” He ended his sentence on a slightly uncertain note.

Annie didn’t recognise him, but she did recognise the class - they’d had their first lesson the day before. “Of course,” she said, offering her hand while desperately trying to place him.

He seemed to recognise her uncertainty as he shook her hand and let go of it again. 

“I don’t normally approach cute girls in supermarkets,” he said apologetically. “It’s just I’m new to Greendale and haven’t met many people yet. I’m still trying to find my way around -” he waved vaguely as though seeking to incorporate the surrounding world into their conversation.

Annie blushed slightly at the unexpected compliment, he didn’t seem to notice. “It’s okay,” she said. “I think you’ll find Greendale is a very welcoming community, if a bit… eccentric at times.” She smiled again, as though inviting him not to take her too seriously.

“I’ve only started this week, but - yeah.” Josh grinned at her. “I’m starting to get that idea.” His smile faded slightly. “I should probably be getting on -” he hefted his basket slightly to show her what he meant “- it was nice talking to you, Annie. See you in class tomorrow?” he added, hopefully.

Annie smiled and nodded. They said their goodbyes.  _ That was surprisingly nice,  _ she thought to herself as she watched him head towards the till.

XXXXXX

The following day Annie was one of the first to take her place in professor Chowdhury’s class. Josh arrived a few minutes later, Annie waved as she recognised him and threw a bright smile at him as he headed for the empty seat on her right. 

The professor’s arrival almost immediately afterwards prevented any attempts at conversation. Three times during the class Annie risked a quick glance to her right. Once, she thought she caught him looking to his left. Then, this happened.

“So, erm, Annie?” Josh asked as the class was finishing. “I’m not sure how to go about the homework assignment. Can I buy you a coffee and bounce some ideas off you?”

_ The homework assignment was to read the next chapter of the textbook,  _ Annie thought to herself.  _ But he really does have the cutest smile when he's nervous. _ “I’ve got to get to Biology now -” Annie saw his face fall slightly “-but I’ll be free after that. Where will you be?”

Josh seemed to relax slightly. “Do you know the small coffee shop across the road from the Old Library?” Annie nodded, he smiled again. “See you there -” he quickly looked at his watch “- just after twelve?”

Annie nodded. “It’s a -” she caught herself slightly -”deal.” She beamed at him. “See you later Josh, I really do have to go now.” She added apologetically.

“Have fun in Biology,” he replied as she turned and headed towards the door. She looked back before leaving and gave him a brief smile and wave. She may have skipped slightly on her way out.

XXXXXX

Annie arrived at quarter past twelve to find Josh was already there. He apologised for not having ordered her a coffee, saying he didn’t want to presume. She said it was quite alright and got a mocha latte for herself. They spent a token couple of minutes discussing the homework, Josh tried to stretch it out by speculating about the likelihood of a pop quiz, but they’d stopped talking about bookkeeping before they’d finished their first coffee.

Their conversation moved on. Annie made him laugh by describing some of the unique features of life at Greendale.

(“That sounds awesome!” he said when she described the paintball war against City college.

“Meh,” she tried her best to sound casual. “I don’t think they’ll try that again.”)

He made her “aww” sympathetically by describing how his parent’s divorce had forced him to change his college plans and spend two years working in order to save up enough money to come to Greendale.

(“Construction was hard work, but it paid well and kept me fit,” he seemed to think this was an excuse to flex his arm muscles slightly. Annie seemed to think it was an excuse to look at them, before relating his story to her struggle to survive before moving into Apartment 303. They spent a little time swapping tips for living on a tight budget.)

At one point, Josh asked Annie if she wanted to share a plate of sandwiches as it was lunchtime, she nodded enthusiastically and offered to buy a cake when they finished.

They both lost track of time. After almost two hours had passed, an alarm went off on Josh’s phone. He bit off a curse and apologised to Annie.

“Basketball tryouts are in half an hour and I’ve got to get to the gym and change!” He said as he hurriedly gathered up his things. He was about to run out of the door when he changed his mind, took out a pen and scribbled something on a napkin and handed it to her.

“No pressure,” he said apologetically, “but if you had as good a time as I did this is my number. I’ll see you soon maybe?” He finished hopefully.

“Go you idiot, you can’t be late!” Annie smiled at him.

“Bye Annie, and thanks for a great time!”

Annie was about to reply, but he was already running for the door. She waved instead as he turned around to look at her. He smiled and waved back before jogging back onto the campus. It took Annie ten minutes of weighing the pros and cons before she typed the number in her phone and drafted a quick text.

**_Now you’ve got mine:-):-)_ **

XXXXXX

Josh replied about five hours later, while Annie was preparing dinner.

**_I got through the first round! Final tryouts are the same time next week, they want to see how we do in an actual match!!_ **

Annie replied instantly.

**_That’s great - I’m sure you’ll rock their world:-)_ **

Her phone went silent for a couple of minutes, and then -

**_Apologies if this is forward of me, but are you free to meet up to celebrate? My treat._ **

Annie’s heart leapt into her mouth. _ He’s asking me on a date. _ She hesitated for a moment over how to reply, before her eyes fell on the ingredients of the meal she was only half way through preparing. She sighed slightly as she composed her reply.

**_I’m busy tonight, sorry:-( But I finish schoolwork at 3PM tomorrow and I’m free after that:-)_ **

Josh’s reply was almost immediate.

**_That’s great! Do you want to catch a film? We can meet up at the Multiplex?_ **

Annie frowned slightly, the only movie she was aware of that was out was the new Underworld film Abed wanted to see at the weekend.

**_What do you want to see?_ ** She asked him back.

**_Dunno. I thought we’d see what was on when we got there. If there’s nothing we could grab a burger or something…_ **

Annie fought down a panic attack at the obvious lack of planning.  _ Loosey goosey, loosey goosey… _

She took a deep breath and typed out her reply. 

**_That sounds like a plan. I can be there by 4. Is that okay?_ **

**_That’s a d...eal:-) See you then, Annie_ **

Annie couldn’t help but smile at Josh’s reference to their coffee meet.

**_And you Josh:-)_ **

“What’s going on Annie?” Abed was watching her from his seat in the TV area. Annie had no idea how long he’d been doing it for.

“Ooooh…” Annie’s voice trembled slightly as she tried to come up with a plausible excuse. “Somebody in my bookkeeping class is setting up a study group. They’re holding their first session tomorrow after school, it’s likely I’ll be back late.”

Abed stared as though he could see right through her.

“You already have a study group Annie.”

Annie pshaw’d and rolled her eyes at him. “Not for  _ bookkeeping  _ Abed.”

Abed looked at - through - her again, as though trying to decide whether he believed her. Finally, he nodded his head slightly and turned back to the show he was watching with Troy.

“Are we going to lose Annie?” Troy whimpered fearfully.

“Not to bookkeeping Troy.”

XXXXXX

After the afternoon study group session ended at 3PM, Annie scurried back to her car. She hadn’t wanted to go on her date - her mind had firmly attached that label to Josh’s invitation - in her school clothes, but on the other hand she hadn’t wanted to go to school dressed up for a date either (she was well aware that doing so was only likely to invite curious questions from the rest of the study group). Instead, she’d smuggled a nice dress (the red one she hadn’t had a chance to wear since she’d dated Vaughn) and her only pair of heels -  _ I really will need more nice stuff if Josh works out -  _ into school in the back of her car. She looked around the car park nervously to make sure there was nobody she recognised lurking then gathered up her dress and rushed back to the school building.

Twenty minutes later, having changed and loosened her hair in the nearest ladies’ room, she re-emerged and dashed back to her car, started the engine and left in the direction of the Greendale multiplex.

XXXXXX

Josh looked at the time on his watch - 4:07PM - and tried not to let his nerves overwhelm him. There was no sign of Annie -  _ I really hope she’s just running late and hasn’t bailed on me -  _ and he was doing his best to try and look casual and unconcerned. Part of him suspected he wasn’t doing a very good job.

“ _ Josh!”  _

He whipped around in the direction of the new voice. He almost sagged with relief as he saw Annie, waving frantically to attract his attention while doing her best to run in heels. 

“Ann-” he didn’t manage to finish before, barely slowing down, she barreled into him almost knocking him breathless. He caught her, the catch swiftly turned into a hug before they separated again.

“Ohmigosh I’m  _ so  _ sorry!” She gasped, nearly breathless from her dash from the carpark. “I really did mean to be on time, but the traffic was terrible and I was afraid you wouldn’t wait so I ran as fast as I could and then-” she waved her hand between the two of them to indicate the collision as she finally ran out of breath. 

“Annie, believe me - I’d wait a lot longer than seven minutes for you,” he smiled, though somewhat bewildered.

She straightened up and smiled back at him. “I must look a mess,” she sighed. 

“Annie, you look amazing.” Josh said, and she did - the red dress was really nice, with a conservative hemline and a neckline that Annie’s heavy breathing was emphasising in ways Josh found very difficult to avoid staring at. 

Annie blushed slightly at his comment, but took the opportunity to look right back at him - jeans that looked freshly pressed, a lumberjack shirt (also freshly pressed) and a leather jacket which, unlike Britta’s, looked like Josh actually used it to protect him from adverse weather conditions.

“You look nice too,” she added softly.

Josh looked relieved. “Shall we go in?” he said, offering her an arm. Annie bounced up to him and took it. They walked through the doors together.

XXXXXX

“Is there anything you like the look of?” Annie asked. In truth, neither of them were very impressed by the limited offerings available after the Christmas season was over.

“Underworld?” In truth, Josh didn’t sound very certain either.

Annie looked at the posters again - it really did seem like the best of a thin offering.

“My roommates have arranged a group outing to see it this weekend.” She said sadly.

Josh grinned suddenly. “Think of it like revising before a test,” he added. “When you see it with them you can blow them away with your attention to detail.”

Annie almost giggled at the silliness of the proposal.  _ That’s the sort of thing Abed would do,  _ she thought.

“Okay,” she said, coming to a decision. “I’ve read all the Twilight books - I’m good with vampires and werewolves together in the same movie.”

“Yeeaah,” Josh drawled. “I don’t think it’s going to be like that.”

XXXXXX

It wasn’t. It was loud and violent with almost non-stop action scenes, there may have been hand holding during the more intense ones.

Well,” said Josh as they were leaving. “As first date movies go, at least it wasn’t a cheesy romcom. Unless you like cheesy romcoms, of course.” He said dryly.

Annie smiled happily, warming up inside at Josh unknowingly confirming they were on the same page.

“They have their place,” she said. “But it was still fun.”

They walked slowly towards the door of the multiplex making small talk about the movie, as though neither of them were in any hurry to bring the evening to an end. As they left, Josh scanned the line of concessions on the far side of the car park with a critical eye. 

“I haven’t eaten any dinner yet,” he said. “How about you?”

“Me neither,” Annie said, also scanning the concessions. “Pizza?” she said hopefully.

Josh nodded. “Good call.”

XXXXXX

The restaurant was lively, busy and with delicious smells coming from the kitchen. Their designated server sat them down, took drinks orders and came back a few minutes later to take their orders.

“Can I ask you a silly favour?” Annie said, taking a sip from her diet coke.

“Sure,” Josh looked distinctly puzzled. “What is it?”

“Can we talk about bookkeeping for a few minutes?” On seeing the expression on his face, Annie clarified a bit. “I told my roommates I was joining a bookkeeping study group tonight and I don’t want to completely lie to them,” she added apologetically. “One of them is very good at spotting that sort of thing.”

Josh paused for a moment as he took a sip of his mineral water, a fake serious expression on his face.

“In that case,” he said. “Why are you studying bookkeeping?”

“I’m majoring in health care administration. Part of it is being able to read and write a balance sheet. What about you?”

Josh was thoughtful for a moment. “I’m planning on majoring in engineering. Being able to read and write a balance sheet is also a requirement. Costing up jobs, that sort of thing.”

Annie nodded in understanding.

Josh grinned at her. “Was that enough bookkeeping?”

XXXXXX

It was. They ate, talked, laughed. Josh found he couldn’t take his eyes off Annie’s face when she was beaming with happiness, so he tried his level best to come up with stories that amused her. Annie for her part found she liked it when he looked at her that way, and she also liked the way his face lit up when he was enthusiastic about what he was talking about, or how toned his forearms were when he rolled up his sleeves and gestured to add emphasis.

They finished their pizzas and ordered an ice cream sundae with two spoons for dessert - Annie was sure Abed would have a trope for this, then forcefully dismissed all such thoughts from her head and concentrated on not blushing too much when Josh learned over to wipe a smudge of cream off the end of her nose.

The bill arrived, Annie insisted on settling it (“you paid for the films, let me pay for this”) - somewhat to Josh’s surprise. As they left, she reached for his hand and squeezed.

“I had a nice time, Josh. I hope we can do it again soon.”

An expression that may have been relief passed over his face. “I’m guessing the weekend is out though?” He said, nodding towards the multiplex.

An apologetic expression crossed Annie’s face. “Sorry, but I really did promise my roommates.” She said sadly, before perking up again. “But we’ll see each other in school on Monday, right? We’ll be able to talk then?”

Annie’s expression was so earnest and her eyes were so wide and hopeful that Josh felt himself falling into them. His hands slid up her arms, pulling her into him, she raised herself up on her toes as their lips met. The kiss was gentle, warm and unhurried. They were both smiling as it ended.

“....wow.” Was all Josh could say.

“Er…” Annie was no better.

“See you Monday?” Josh finally managed a coherent sentence.

“Monday.” Annie firmly nodded her agreement. “I’m parked over there…” she waved in the general direction of the car park before closing in for a final hug and then retreating, waving and giving Josh a final goodbye. He watched her retreat and kept watching until he saw her get into a car and drive off.

XXXXXX

“Hi Annie, you’re late back.” Abed said as she walked through the door to apartment 303. “Did you learn much bookkeeping?”

“Actually,” Annie found herself unnerved by the intensity of his gaze. “We didn’t do much actual studying, it was mostly a get to know you session. You know - why we’re doing bookkeeping - I need it for my Hospital Administration major.” Annie had to bite down the urge to talk uncontrollably - the intensity of Abed’s gaze was knocking her off her stride. Instead, she strode over to her room.

“I need to get ready for bed - early start tomorrow!” As she locked the door to her room behind her, she looked down and suddenly realised what Abed had been staring at - she had forgotten to change back into her Greendale clothes and was still wearing her date dress and shoes. She cursed softly as she peeled off the dress and changed into her pyjamas.


	3. Chapter 3

(Spring semester, second week back, from the aftermath of “Contemporary Impressionists” to the aftermath of “Pillows and Blankets”)

Claire Sandwell was feeling slightly out of sorts. She had just started to thoroughly enjoy the time she’d been spending with Jeff - he was hot, amusing, completely unabashed at showing how interested in her he was, all in all a distinct improvement over the slightly mildewed geography teachers and desperate divorced dads that seemed to be the main sources of romantic overtures in the life of a single high school teacher.

She had expected him to get in touch to arrange something for the weekend, very likely some elaborate plan to move their relationship to the next level - and had spent some time considering what her response would be. So to have him go completely radio silent on her was both unexpected and annoying, so by Monday afternoon she had pretty much written him off by the time she was locking up her classroom at the end of the school day when her phone vibrated.

**_Sorry for going dark on you, but something came up I couldn’t get out of. If you’re free I’ll be at the usual time and place to tell you everything. J_ **

Claire stared at her phone for what felt like several minutes while she considered whether to reply.

XXXXXX

Jeff had had a disastrous weekend. First had been the meltdown at the Bar Mitzvah party, then the emergency telephone consult with his therapist which had led to him flushing his anti-anxiety meds followed by a monumental crash as the meds worked their way out of his system. But worst of all was the realisation he was now hugely in Britta’s debt - his blonde friend had salvaged him from the side of the road, taken him home and refused to leave until she was sure that the worst was over and he wouldn’t do anything stupid if left on his own, leaving him with a severely depleted supply of breakfast cereal and salad vegetables and a mountain of unwashed dishes.

“Thanks Britta,” he’d croaked as she left.

She smiled broadly on her way out. “Trust me Jeff - there’ll come a time when I remind you of this.”

This had left Jeff needing to find an alternative, non-pharmaceutical, way of boosting his self esteem. Being Jeff, his first thought was the endorphin rush that came from a really good, intense workout session with the result that he vowed to squeeze in even more gym time.

XXXXXX

Greendale’s gym was not Jeff’s favorite place to work out - that would be the place round the corner from Hamish, Hamish & Hamlin’s office, where he benefited from a corporate membership, equipment that was more modern, better maintained and frankly the women were hotter - but there were days, like today, where the course load was heavy enough that it was the only way to squeeze in a session.

He wasn’t the only one there - some guy who Jeff had never seen before was bench pressing weights and had clearly bitten off more than he could chew. Jeff jogged over and relieved him of the weight before it crushed him to the bench.

“Thanks,” he gasped as he sat up. “I’ve never done this before,” he added ruefully. 

_ Only Greendale would let a someone new loose in the weight room without an instructor,  _ Jeff thought to himself. He took a closer look at the other man - early twenties at most, slim, but with surprisingly well defined upper body and arm muscles and no extra fat.

“You don’t look like a newbie,” Jeff said as he offered his hand and helped him stand up.

“I worked construction for a couple of years to raise money to come to college,” he said. “It kept me fit, but now I’m sitting at a study desk all day…” he shrugged, as though his point was obvious.

Jeff nodded understandingly - his own gym regime was based on similar logic.

“And besides,” his expression had been replaced with a genuinely happy smile. “I’ve met a girl. I think she likes me, but she’s really cute and I can’t afford to let myself go.”

“That’s the spirit,” Jeff’s grin was huge. “Let me give you some safety tips first - I’m Jeff by the way.” He held his hand out again.

“Thanks Jeff, call me Josh.” He replied, gripping Jeff’s hand firmly.

Teaching Josh how not to kill himself was actually fun. After the hour long session was over, Jeff mentioned that if he needed any more tips he was likely to be there the same time most weeks during school time and ended by wishing him well with his girl.

What was more, the endorphin rush seemed to have worked - as he headed to the changing room he took out his phone and sent a text message he’d been putting off.

**_Sorry for going dark on you, but something came up I couldn’t get out of. If you’re free I’ll be at the usual time and place to tell you everything. J_ **

By the time he’d showered and got dressed, a reply was waiting for him.

**_I’ll be there. It had better be good!_ **

He smiled, put his phone away and headed back to his car.

XXXXXX

“Hi Josh!” Annie waved him over, she’d arrived at the coffee bar first this time. He smiled, waved back and closed in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Have you had a shower?” She’d noticed his hair was still slightly wet.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ve just finished up at the gym. Thanks,” he said as he took the coffee she passed over to him. “It’s really nice to see you too, Annie.” She bobbed happily in the seat. 

He looked puzzled all of a sudden, then concerned. “Why have you got a suitcase? You not leaving us are you?”

“No!” Annie almost yelped. “Our apartment block is being fumigated and I’m moving into the sleep studies lab for a few days.”

“Don’t you have any friends or family who can put you up?”

“Yes,” Annie said, with her best  _ aren’t-I-a-clever-girl _ smile, “but they won’t pay me twenty bucks a night in exchange for being allowed to attach electrodes to me!”

_ I’m sure you could find people willing to pay you a lot more than that to attach electrodes to you.  _ But Josh sternly banished that thought. “They’ll pay you to sleep?” he said instead with an expression of wry admiration on his face. “What about your roommates?”

“They’re building a pillow fort on campus.”

Josh looked honestly astonished. “You can do that at Greendale??”

Annie’s smile broadened out into a full beam.

XXXXXX

Claire walked into the Starbucks after her Tuesday afternoon therapy session. As was the case with the last two weeks, Jeff was waiting for her with a coffee. This time though there was something subtly different about him -  _ there’s something smaller about him somehow, it’s as though his personality no longer fills the whole room.  _ Instead of priming herself to confront him over his lack of contact, a small feeling of concern passed over her instead.

“What’s the matter, Jeff?” she said. “You don’t look yourself.”

A sad smile crossed his face. “Unfortunately I do, that’s the problem. I misjudged my anti-anxiety meds and overdosed at the weekend and my therapist has taken them away. For the last couple of weeks I’ve been high, this is the real me.”

Claire, whose day job included supporting hormonal teenagers through adolescence, recognised self-loathing when she saw it. “That’s crap, Jeff.” She said bluntly. “Pills don’t change who you are, they just help you share it.” Coming to an abrupt decision, she put the lid back on her coffee cup. “We’re going to dinner,” she said, to Jeff’s visible surprise. “My treat, so it won’t be anywhere fancy or expensive. Mexican okay by you? Good,” She finished without waiting for an answer. “And we’re going to talk this through until you learn to stop being so self absorbed.”

“You’d do that for me?” Jeff sounded disbelieving.

“You may find it hard to believe, but I actually like you, you know. And yes - I have terrible taste in men. Now, are you coming or not?”

Jeff put the lid back on his own coffee cup, stood up, and walked around to where Claire was standing. “Thanks,” he said, with the hint of a proper smile on his face.

XXXXXX

(Second day of the Trobed Civil War)

Josh was feeling somewhat shell shocked at his first encounter with the full Greendale Crazy experience. When it was announced that the basketball tryouts had been postponed for a week in order to support the ongoing record attempt he hadn’t thought much of it at first, except to think it was a good time to track down Annie. It proved harder than he expected - dodging groups of pillow-wielding students attempting to either pressgang him or violently laying into each other - but eventually he located a store room with a hand-painted red cross on it and pushed it open.

“Josh!” Annie rushed across the room to give him a hug. “You made it across the lines!”

Josh was happy with the feel of Annie in his arms, but what she said threw him.

“Erm, it’s a pillow fight Annie…”

“Psssh, you know!” Annie pushed at his chest and blushed as she turned away.

“What exactly is going on here?” Josh gestured at the camping cots with students covered in feathers lying on them, waste bins filled with more feathers and drips containing orange squash.

Annie couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “Well, the film students are getting credits for making a documentary of all this, so I thought if I did this -” now it was Annie’s turn to gesture around the room “-I could claim a Health Care Administration credit,” she smiled brightly.

_ Is it a sign I’m acclimatising to this place that that almost made sense?  _ Josh thought to himself, slightly worriedly.

“Is this-” he started to speak, but Annie gestured for silence as her phone start to vibrate. She looked down, the incoming messages were from Jeff.

**_Crazy war, huh?_ **

**_I heard Chang's kids are really ducking stuff up._ **

**_Hey, check it out. I downloaded that thing. {Birthday cake}, {birthday cake}, {unicorn}, {woman's shoe}._ **

**_How's the nurse thing going?_ **

“Who was that?” Josh said.

“Nobody important,” Annie said as she put her phone away. “Oh thanks, Vicki.” A somewhat larger girl had passed Annie a clipboard. She scanned it, signed it and handed it back, once again thanking Vicki.

“Emergency cookie requisition.” She said, smiling at Josh as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

“This is going to be my new normal, isn’t it?” he sighed.

XXXXXX

The fight was over, Troy and Abed had made up with friendship hats and everybody was going home. For the first time in what felt like hours Jeff allowed the stress and exhaustion of trying to prevent the study group from falling apart in response to Troy and Abed’s latest nonsense to show. He slumped into a seat, holding his head in his hands.

“That was a really nice thing you did there Jeff,” a soft voice said from behind.

“Whaa-” he jumped out of his seat with shock. “Oh hi, Annie. What are you still doing here?” He said with a tired smile on his face.

“You looked like you needed a friend.”

Jeff looked at her with a curious expression. “Does this mean we’re friends again now?”

Annie rolled her eyes at him. “We’ll always be friends, Jeff. You’ll have to be a much bigger jerk than you were the last couple of days to change that.”

“Thanks Annie.” Jeff’s posture imperceptibly relaxed.

“Here-” she reached into her backpack as she thought of something. “This is for you.” She handed him a new notebook with both hands.

“Erm, thanks?” Jeff looked completely baffled.

“It’s not a ‘Hello Kitty’ book, but it’ll do until you get one. Jeff suddenly remembered something Annie had said to him during the war -

_ “Do you ever just write stuff down in a journal, Jeff? One you don't show people or use to get anything with? A place that's just for you to sort out the truth?” _

“I’ll treasure this forever.” He said wryly.

“Just give it a chance, you jag.” Annie said, closing in for a hug. “Nobody’s said ‘thank you’ yet, so thanks Jeff for fixing this, even if you did do your bit to make it worse.” She looked up from where her face was pressed into his chest to meet his eyes, a broad grin on her face. 

“You’re welcome,” Jeff looked down at her, a softer smile on his face. “Walk you to your car?” He said, offering her his arm.

“Thanks Jeff,” she said happily as she took it.

XXXXXX

**_School this week was insane, I need to be a grown up for at least one evening. Are you free tonight?_ **

Claire looked at the text from Jeff and nodded slightly. Her reply was simple enough.

**_Pick me up at seven._ **

Jeff’s response was even simpler - a thumbs up emoji and nothing else.

XXXXXX

“Are you sure you don't want me to come down with you?” Zoe asked hopefully - Jeff had texted to announce his arrival just as Claire was applying the finishing touches to her makeup.

“Not this time,” Claire smiled at her roommate as she finished her lipstick and reached for her jacket. 

“Well, be good.” Zoe said as Claire walked towards the door. “And if you can’t be good -”

“-Be careful.” Claire finished the old joke. “Good night Zoe,” she added as she slipped out of the apartment with a wave.

“Good night Claire,” but the door was already closing.

XXXXXX 

Jeff had been waiting a little over five minutes before the number display over the elevator door counted down to zero, the door opened and Claire stepped out. He took one good look at her - yellow dress this time, with a green jacket and beige heels - and stood to attention, pulling his own jacket (gunmetal grey, over a blue shirt and designer jeans) into a fractionally sharper alignment as he opened the door for her.

“What time is Zoe expecting you back?” He asked as the car pulled away from the curb.

Claire was silent for a moment. “She isn’t, tonight at least.” She said, looking directly ahead.

Jeff turned in surprise to face her, then a grin slowly spread across his face.” Do you-”

“-want to go to dinner, have a nice relaxing time and see how things are after that? Yes please.” This time Claire did look him in the eye.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” by now, Jeff’s grin was almost carnivorous.

XXXXXX

Jeff woke up alone in his bed to the sunlight streaming through his bedroom windrow. Part of him had hoped that Claire wouldn’t be just another girl that slept with him and then crept out before dawn - it’d taken longer than usual to get to this stage after all, long enough to realise he actually liked this girl, but another part of him wasn’t that surprised, even if -  _ is that coffee I can smell? _

Jeff shot out of his bed, put on a pair of lounge pants and almost ran into the main area of his apartment.

“Good morning Jeff,” Claire looked up from the coffee machine that had almost finished brewing and smirked at the surprised expression on his face. “Anyone would think you were surprised to see me.”

Jeff visibly collected himself, pasting a confident look on his face. “Not at all, I always hit the ground running when I get up.” At a more sedate pace, he walked over to join her in his kitchen area.

“I see you found my wardrobe,” he said dryly. Claire was wearing her shoes from the night before, one of his dress shirts - the blue one with the French cuffs - and, as far as he could tell, not much else.

“I think between us we may have one whole outfit on,” she said equally dryly, noting his bare torso above the lounge pants he’d thrown on.

“My dress is in your washing machine,” she offered by way of explanation. “Trying to get the wine stain out.”

Jeff couldn’t help thinking of the night before - they’d come back to his apartment after dinner and he’d offered a nightcap, but they’d got barely halfway down their first drinks when the kissing had started and they’d begun tearing at each other’s clothes. The yellow dress had come off and been thrown across the room, taking a glass of red wine with it. By the time things had calmed down enough to realise what had happened she’d shrugged off his apologies with a “now you have to let me stay the night”, after which she’d put the dress in a sink to soak and they’d retired to the bedroom to carry on where they’d left off. Jeff couldn’t help smiling as he remembered.

“If you can’t get the stain out I’ll buy you a new one,” he said.

“Yes you will,” Claire said, but she was also smiling, remembering much the same thing he was. “Oh, the coffee’s finished.” The machine had stopped gurgling, Claire poured out two cups.

“I guess that means you’re staying for breakfast?” Jeff said, fetching yogurt and fruit from the fridge.

“Thanks Jeff.”

XXXXXX

The stain didn’t come out. She put the dress on anyway and Jeff lent her a coat long enough to cover the stain and took her out to keep his promise to buy her another one. He didn’t mind - helping an attractive woman buy a pretty dress was the sort of thing he thought had the potential for payback later. 

He finally dropped her back at her apartment block late afternoon. They kissed, said their goodbyes and kissed again. They finally separated and Claire retreated into her apartment block as she went. Jeff was smiling all the way home.  _ Some things are better than any endorphin rush. _


	4. Chapter 4

(Spring semester, third week back)

(Recommended viewing “Introduction to Vampire Mythology”)

(Greendale Gym)

“You took your girlfriend to  _ Walmart? _ ” Man, you need to raise your game!” Jeff laughed. He and Josh were taking a breather while pacing each other on the weight bench and were swapping stories of their weekends.

“She couldn’t see me on Saturday -” Abed had rescheduled the cinema trip that had been postponed by the Bar Mitzvah party, and Annie had felt unable to refuse “- so we met up on Sunday instead. We both needed to do some shopping and it was something her roommates wouldn’t be interested in so she was sure to be on her own. We had coffee after, it was nice.” He said, slightly defensively.

“Sorry buddy,” Jeff patted Josh companionably on the shoulder. He still had an amused smirk on his face though.

“I never thought being in a relationship on a budget would be so difficult,” Josh sighed. “Neither of us can afford fancy restaurants-” Jeff had shared a (pg-rated) account of his own weekend “-and I can’t take her back to my dorm room any more than she can bring me back to her apartment.”

Jeff frowned slightly. He liked Josh and wanted to help him, but frankly dating on a tight budget was not something the former lawyer/now consultant had much experience with. He thought for a moment.

“Take her on a picnic. Girlfriends love picnics,” He said confidently.

Josh was silent for a beat. “It’s Colorado in January Jeff, it’s below freezing outside.” He finally commented.

Jeff was knocked off balance for a moment, but only a moment. “Ice skating then - isn’t there a rink in Greendale Park? There’s bound to be a hotdog stand or something and if you can’t persuade her to snuggle up close to keep warm you’re not the guy I think you are.” He finished with a smirk.

“That’s-” Josh paused in thought for a moment. “Actually a really good idea. Thanks Jeff,” he grinned, held up his hand for a high five. Jeff good naturedly slapped it.

XXXXXX

**_Jeff: Do you want to come over? I’ll cook dinner and we can spend the evening together._ **

**_Me: Sorry, I have to mark homework:-(_ **

**_Jeff: Bring it with you. I’ll cook you dinner, promise to leave you alone for a couple of hours to do your work and then we’ll have the rest of the evening free {cool emoji}_ **

Claire raised an eyebrow in visible surprise at this. “What do you think?” She said, showing her phone to Zoe.

“That’s very… boyfriendy.” Her roommate said.

Claire nodded. “That’s what I thought,” she stood up as she came to a decision. “I think I’ll take him up on it,” she declared as she gathered up her school bag.

“Dressed like that?” Claire was still in her teaching clothes - slacks, long-sleeved white blouse and sensible flats - and Zoe clearly wasn’t impressed.

“Hey - he said he was going to let me do my work and then relax, I’m going to take him at his word.”

“Well, will you be taking an overnight bag or are you going to completely write off the evening for anything fun?”

“Oh - good call,” Claire said, dropping her school bag and scurrying into her bedroom.

**_Me: Will be there in half an hour:-)_ **

XXXXXX

“Two bags?” Jeff said as he opened the door and Claire handed them to him.

“That’s my school bag-” pointing at the heavy one “-and that’s my overnight bag.” Pointing at the other one with a glare on her face that defied him to make an issue of it.

Jeff grinned as he showed her in. “I hope you like fish,” he said. “I’ve got salmon steaks waiting.”

XXXXXX

“I think we need another study session this afternoon.” Shirley said, glaring at the rest of the group around the table. “We wasted half of this one playing rock - paper - scissors - dinosaur - Kirk-”

“Lizard - Spock.” Abed corrected her.

Shirley ignored the interruption. “And we have a midterm exam next week. We need to catch up. Who’s with me?” She looked around the table, the others mumbled while trying to avoid her gaze.

“What about you Ann-ie?” She said, her voice adopted her best high pitched, passive aggressive tone as she turned to the member of the study group most likely to support her.

_ I promised myself I’d support Josh in his rescheduled try-outs, and we’re going ice skating after,  _ she thought to herself. “I’mafraidIcan’tmakeit,” she mumbled almost incomprehensibly into the table, her face resolutely pointing down as she gathered her books.

“Ann-ie!” Shirley cried in shock, accompanied by surprised gasps from around the table. “I thought better of you, young lady.” Shirley was now piling on the guilt.

Annie desperately ransacked her brain to come up with a plausible excuse. Before she could however -

“Annie’s got a new boyfriend,” Abed announced. “She’s probably already made arrangements to spend the afternoon with him.”

“Abed!” Annie’s head whipped up to glare at her roommate. “How could you possibly-”

“You’ve been going to a bookkeeping study group that nobody else in your class has heard of-”

“You were  _ investigating me?” _ Annie yelled.

Abed carried on talking over her. “-and you’d wear outfits more suited to a date for it. You’d spend entire afternoons shopping and only come back with thirty dollars worth of groceries. And you’ve started singing to yourself when you cook. Do I need to go on?” 

“Annie! You’ve got a new young man in your life!” Shirley sounded excited. “Who is he?” Her voice switched to grim in a beat. “And why did we have to find out from Abed?”

Annie sat upright in her seat. “Okay - so I’ve got a new boyfriend. So what? It’s nobody’s business but mine!” She glared at them all in turn. She was confused at first as to why Abed and Britta weren’t looking at her but were instead looking at Jeff, then she was outraged.  _ Why are they looking at him as though he has the final say on this?  _ She turned to Jeff, readying herself to shout down whatever angry, jealous objection he came up with.

Jeff hadn’t moved. He’d been in the process of sending Claire a text message when Abed had made his announcement and briefly froze in shock. He’d allowed the argument to wash over him while he gathered his thoughts and decided what to say, and made a point of finishing his text while the room went silent as one by one the rest of the study group turned to look at him.

When he was sure he had everyone’s attention he put his phone down and looked up.

“I think the last few minutes have just provided all the justification Annie needed for not telling us,” he said, looking at Shirley who harrumphed slightly and looked away. “And we’re going to give her all the space she needs while she decides when it’s safe to introduce her guy to us.”

“Who are you, and what have you done to Jeff Winger?” Britta cried out to audible murmurs from the rest of the group.

Jeff ignored the interruption, instead turning to the petite brunette to his left. “Annie, you go and have a nice time, you’re probably well ahead of us in the book anyway. I can’t believe I’m the one who has to say this, but the rest of us will be here, studying. Right, guys?” He finished, glaring the rest of the study group into submission.

One by one the rest of the group mumbled their assent, packed and left.

“Still here, Annie?” Jeff said, she hadn’t moved.

“That was…” Annie ground to a halt. Jeff sighed.

“Let me guess,” he said. “You want to thank me for not being a jerk, but an inner voice - which sounds remarkably like Britta -” he added dryly, “is telling you you you shouldn't have to thank me for not being a jerk, that should be the least you have the right to expect from a friend.”

Annie looked away and smiled apologetically, but didn’t deny it. “I’m sorry Jeff, but you do have a track record.” This time, she did meet his eyes.

It was Jeff’s turn to break eye contact. “Yeah, and that worked out so well for me,” he said sarcastically. 

“I meant what I said after the Model UN fiasco, you know.” He resumed eye contact. “I really can’t keep treating you like a kid any more. That means that, despite your famously terrible taste in men -” he grinned as Annie rolled her eyes at him “- I have to trust that you know what you’re doing and can fix whatever mistakes you make.”

“Thanks Jeff,” Annie’s eyes were shining as she closed in for a tight hug.

“Just do me one favour, Annie.”

She looked up from where her face was pressed into his chest.

“I’m going to be happy for you - I really am - but please, believe me when I say I do not want to know any of the details.” He said, smiling fondly down at her.

“It’s a deal, Jeff.” Annie beamed back at him as they ended the hug and separated.

XXXXXX

“It looks like you have a cheerleader.” Carl said.

Josh looked in the direction his point guard for the tryouts was indicating, and smiled suddenly. Annie was jumping excitedly in her seat, waving a brightly coloured poster - GOSH, IT’S JOSH!! - to attract his attention.

A huge smile broke out on his face as he waved back at her. “That’s my girlfriend.” He said to Carl.

“She’s cute, for a girl.” The other man sniffed. “Ready to play, recruit?”

XXXXXX

Annie was fidgeting nervously outside the men’s changing room. She thought Josh had done well - she didn’t know much about basketball, but he seemed to have put the ball through the hoop more than most of the other new players - but no announcement had been made before the players retired from the court.

The door to the changing room opened. Josh was the third out - he looked around, spotted Annie and ran over to her and swept her off her feet, kissing her soundly on the lips as he did so, all to the sound of ironic cheering from the other basketball players.

“I made the team, Annie!” he said with a huge grin on his face as he let her down. “We have our first proper match next week!”

Annie was blushing bright red with embarrassment at being part of such a public display, but still had a delighted smile on her face. 

“That’s amazing Josh, I knew you could do it!” She hugged him again.

“Ready to go ice skating?” Josh smiled down at her. When Annie nodded happily back, he took her hand and started walking in the direction of the car park.

XXXXXX

“What is that?” Annie was looking nervously at possibly the scariest motorcycle she’d ever seen. 

“It’s a 1980’s vintage Harley-Davidson Sport Glide. It was my dad’s when he was my age, but it was gathering dust in the back of the garage from not long after he married my mom. He gave it to me after the divorce on condition I got it road worthy. It took almost three years but -” he waved proudly at the bike.

“What’s the matter?” He’d finally noticed the shocked expression on Annie’s face. “I told you I rode a bike.”

“I just thought you meant…” Annie waved to a rack of pedal bikes.

“Couldn’t you tell from the leather jacket?” He grinned at her. “Here, you’ll need this.” He’d opened the luggage box and fished out two helmets and passed her one.

“EeeeEEEeee…” Annie squeaked nervously.

XXXXXX

Annie had never been so terrified in her life.

Josh rather enjoyed the way she hung on to him like grim death.

XXXXXX

“Brrrr…” They’d come off the ice, Annie was shivering with cold. Josh took off his leather jacket and draped it over her shoulders, taking the opportunity as he did to pull her into the crook of his arm. Annie beamed up at him as she snuggled into his side.

“Do you fancy a hot dog or a hot chocolate?” Josh said, pointing at the concession stands.

“How about a hot dog  _ and  _ a hot chocolate?” Her eyes seemed to double in size.

“Deal.” Josh replied, faux-seriously.

When they kissed it was warm, relaxing and tasted ever so slightly of sweet chocolate.

XXXXXX

Annie was feeling a certain… itch. Oh things were going well with Josh -  _ really  _ well. She’d lost track of the number of times they held hands or kissed, and their make-out sessions were getting increasingly energetic, but any thought of taking things to another level was frustrated by the simple fact she shared an apartment with two roommates (who she loved dearly, but gave her very little privacy) and he shared a dorm room and neither of them could afford a hotel room.

It was when she found herself yelling at a passing woman who catcalled Jeff after Annie had tricked him into taking his shirt off that she decided something really needed to be done before she ended up doing something she’d never live down.

It didn’t help that she had to spend the weekend dealing with a legendary Britta meltdown pretty much unaided - Abed and Troy actively stirred the pot by deciding to watch the most unsuitable possible movie, Jeff and Shirley were nowhere to be seen and Pierce was, well, Pierce.

On the verge of exploding with frustration at dealing with her friends, she’d ended up cornering the dean and spoon-feeding him a plan to get the boys out of the apartment.

XXXXXX

Jeff had planned on being around, but Claire had texted him that Zoe was spending the weekend at her parents for her dad’s fiftieth birthday and she was going to be all on her own, so he’d packed an overnight bag instead.


	5. Chapter 5

(Spring semester, 4th week back)

“So, any plans for the evening?” Jeff asked during a break in their exercise session.

Josh grinned. “My girlfriend’s coming to pick me up, and then we’re going to study bookkeeping.”

“‘Study’.” Jeff grinned back.

“For real this time,” Josh looked slightly sad. “We have a mid-term in a week’s time and need to make sure we’re on top of everything, she’ll kill me if we don’t get at least a couple of chapters’ worth done.”

“Ouch, that sucks buddy. Running machine?” The guys had got into the habit of ending their sessions with a ten minute run, Jeff tried to make a point of covering more distance than Josh, but the younger man was slowly closing on him.

“Sure Jeff.”

XXXXXX

Annie walked up to the gym, humming a cheery tune to herself - she didn’t even bother to deny to herself she was slightly early in the hope of catching sight of Josh working out. She pushed the door open, looked around and quickly saw Josh on the running machine closest to her, another man partially hidden behind him.

“Hi Josh!” She called out.

XXXXXX

Jeff was running hard, the sound of his heartbeat strong in his ears. He heard the voice of the new arrival, saw Josh slow to a halt and step off the machine. Jeff came to a halt at a more sedate pace, wiped the sweat off his face with a towel and stepped down from his own machine. He stopped suddenly as he saw who Josh was walking towards him with, hand in hand.

“Jeff, this is my girlfriend -”

“Annie.” Jeff’s voice was flat and hard.

“Jeff!” Annie’s face had gone chalk white. She came to a sudden halt, her hand pulling free of Josh’s.

“Wait - you two know each other?” Then a horrifying thought came to Josh _ \- all those times Annie was ‘too busy’ with her roommates, didn’t they match up with the dates Jeff was telling me about with his girlfriend? _

“Sh-she isn’t the girl you’ve been seeing too, is she?” Josh suddenly blurted out.

“What- no! That’s ridiculous!” Jeff yelled.

“Josh - how could you!” Annie yelled.

“We’re just friends!” They both yelled simultaneously, staring at Josh.

“I. Am. Not. Seeing. Her.” Jeff grated out. “The girl I  _ am  _ seeing is six inches taller, has light brown hair and has absolutely nothing to do with Greendale!”

“And my boyfriend is four inches shorter, with blond hair, and is a  _ jealous idiot!” _ Annie rasped with similar intensity.

“Annie, I’m really sorry-” Josh tried to interrupt.

“Josh - we’re leaving.” Annie hissed. “We’re going to have a good long talk and then we’re going to study!”

She stormed out of the gym, throwing Jeff her best  _ this isn’t over, Winger!  _ glare as she went.

Jeff just watched stunned and speechless as Josh followed her out, throwing Jeff an apologetic shrug as he went.

XXXXXX

“-and that’s why I thought you two might be together. I’m really sorry Annie, I just wasn’t thinking straight.” Josh finally got to the end of his long, apologetic narrative. He took a sip of his coffee to punctuate the ending.

Annie looked him squarely in the eyes, her outrage had been softened by Josh’s tone, and finally she sighed. “I suppose I can see why you might think that, just so long as you understand there is nothing there, and never will be!”

The next thing Josh said was with the hesitant tone of somebody who realised it was probably a mistake to ask this but whose curiosity wouldn’t let go of the question.

“So, were you never tempted? I mean even I can see he’s a good looking guy.”

Annie sighed again. “It’s not a big secret around here, I suppose.” She finally admitted. “I had a crush on him in my first year - he was a cute older guy who treated me with respect, I think he filled a void that had been in my life since my dad left. We kissed a couple of times-”

“ _ What?”  _ Josh couldn’t help yelping. “He reminded you of your father and you kissed him?  _ Twice?” _

“No!” Annie yelped back. “That’s not what I meant! Gross,” she shuddered slightly. 

“He was kind and supportive-”  _ and hot,  _ but Annie knew better than to say that out loud “-and I needed that, and as I said I crushed a little on him because of it.”

“You kissed him.”

Now it was Annie’s turn to look apologetic. “The first time was just a trick to win a college debate, it meant nothing - there’s footage of it on the student website if you want to see for yourself.” Her tone of voice had turned slightly defiant.

“And the second time?” 

“Oh dear, that was a mess-” Annie gave a succinct and mostly accurate run-down of the night of the transfer dance - Vaughn, Britta, Slater, and all. 

“And I think we were both just so relieved and grateful to run into someone who was sympathetic and supportive and totally unconnected to the stress and chaos of our evenings to that point that it just seemed a natural thing to do.” Annie carefully omitted any description of just how long and intense the kiss had been. “And afterwards, when everything had calmed down, we met up and talked about it and agreed it was a mistake and we should just be friends. We have been ever since, and there has been no repeat and neither of us want to, for that matter.”

Josh looked closely into her eyes, but failed to find any hint of deception there.

“I’m sorry Annie,” he said again. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”

“Yes there is,” a broad smile spread across Annie’s face. “Tell me everything Jeff told you about his new girlfriend, and I mean  _ everything. _ ”

XXXXXX

“ _ He was horny, so he dropped him! Man Is Evil!” _ After spending far too much time gossiping and some more studying, Josh had returned to his dorm room. After putting his bag down he’d remembered something Annie had said and logged onto the Greendale Student Forums. He’d then searched for DEBATE KISS and had spent a couple of minutes watching grainy footage that had obviously been taken on a camera phone.

_ Well that looked intense,  _ he thought with a slight frown on his face.  _ Jeff looks like he was hit by a truck.  _ He went back to the start of the footage and watched it again.

XXXXXX

“Jeff, wait!”

Jeff had just arrived in the Greendale parking lot and was walking towards the library, his face already in his phone when he heard his name being called. He looked up curiously in the direction he thought the sound had come from.

_ Oh no.  _ “Hi Annie, what can I do for you?” He sighed as his friend finished running across the parking lot and caught up with him.

“Can’t I just be wanting to say hello to my friend?” She said with an air of faux-innocence.

Jeff stopped walking and turned to face her directly. “If that’s all you wanted you’d have done it in the Study Room,” he said. “This-” he did a circular wave with his hand to encompass the two of them and the parking lot “-is an ambush.”

Annie dropped her innocent act. “You have to tell the group you’re in a relationship.”

“Hahaha No.” Jeff said, starting to walk again and picking up the pace to try and outrun her. 

Annie scurried to keep up. “You’ve got to Jeff, they’re driving me nuts spending every study session demanding every last detail about what Josh and I are doing! If they know about you too they’ll leave me alone for some of the time!”

Jeff abruptly stopped again. Annie shot ahead a couple of paces before stopping and turning back. “Which is exactly why I’m not going to do it,” he spat out. 

“We’ve both been round this buoy before-” recalling Slater and Vaughn gave Jeff no pleasure, but he was willing to try almost anything to silence Annie. “-Which is why I’m not going to do it again.”

Annie drew herself up to her full height of five foot three and glared at him. “If you don’t tell them I will!” She hissed. “Josh was so desperate for me to forgive him he told me everything!” She finished triumphantly.

_ So much for the Bro Code,  _ Jeff thought. “Why would he do-” Annie stood up even straighter if that were possible, with her shoulders thrown back in a way that put extra pressure on her neckline.  _ Yeah,  _ Jeff thought.  _ Boobs before rubes. _

“Forget it,” he sighed. Jeff only had one card to play left. “Annie, be fair - you know what our friends are like! If I tell them after they found out about you, they’ll assume I was acting out of jealousy or something!”

Annie was unmoved. “If you tell them I’ll back you up. If I have to tell them…” she left the threat unspoken.

Jeff sighed, knowing when he was beaten. “Just don’t forget that promise.” He sighed again.

Annie’s expression shifted like a flash from angry defiance to a happy smile. “Deal, Jeff.” She said, falling in alongside him as they both started walking towards the library.

“So how are things with your girlfriend?”

“Annie, you remember me saying I was happy for you to be in a relationship so long as I didn’t have to know any of the details?”

“Yeees…”

“They’re like that.”

XXXXXX

“Well, now everybody’s here, can we study?” Shirley glared at Jeff and Annie as they arrived and took their seats.

“Jeff, didn’t you say you had an announcement to make?” Annie said in an over-rehearsed tone of voice.

“Thanks Annie,” Jeff said dryly.

“I’m seeing someone.” He said, in his best lets-get-this-over-with tone of voice. “She’s smart, hot, fun, has nothing to do with Greendale in any capacity whatsoever and no, I will not be introducing her to the study group until I’m sure our relationship will survive the experience. Now, can we study?” He made a point of slamming his textbook on the table and emphatically opening it.

“Oh, Jeff…” Shirley said sadly. 

“What. The. Hell. Winger?” Britta chipped in.

“Jeff is processing his feelings at Annie moving on by throwing himself back into the dating pool in an attempt to prove he’s moved on too and is no longer the guy who had a melt-down over Rich.” Abed said.

“Actually Abed,” Jeff took vicious glee in drawing this out. “I’ve been seeing her since Winter break. That’s weeks before we found out about Annie.”

Annie sat up in response to her cue. “I didn’t even start seeing Josh until after school came back, that’s after Jeff started seeing his girlfriend.”

Abed’s eyes opened wide in shock as his analysis was so comprehensively debunked. “You two are coordinating this,” he blurted out, pointing at Jeff and Annie in turn.

“Actually Josh is my gym buddy,” Jeff said. “I’ve known about him and Annie for some time now - we’ve talked it through and are all cool with it.”

“Yeeeaah-” Annie said, staring at each of the others in turn. “-we’ve talked like mature adults and are all… cool with it.” She said, repeating what Jeff had said.

_ “Now  _ can we study?” Jeff finished, jabbing his finger into his open textbook.

XXXXXX

“How was your day, Jeff?” Claire had come over again with her homework bag, Jeff had once again offered to cook her dinner. If either of them thought this was comfortably domestic, neither of them mentioned it.

“Nuts, completely nuts.” He sighed after kissing her on the cheek to welcome her in. “Last week my study group found out my friend Annie was dating my gym buddy Josh, and spent the rest of the week pestering her. Yesterday, Josh ratted you and me out to Annie and she blackmailed me into telling them about us and they spent the rest of the day giving me the third degree.”

Claire looked at him quizzically. “So I’m no longer your dirty secret then?” She said.

“ _You’re_ not my dirty secret, _they_ are.” Jeff said dryly.

“Oh, good save,” Claire replied, equally dryly. “What’s cooking?” They’d been walking towards the kitchen area as they talked and Claire had picked up the smell of food.

“Chicken parmesan,” Jeff said, slightly smugly. “I was just tossing the salad when you arrived.”

XXXXXX

It’d been a while since Jeff had had to negotiate his early morning routine around a woman (the previous week hadn’t counted, Claire had left early to return to her apartment, this week she was better prepared) -  _ probably not since Britta,  _ he thought to himself though it was a thought he didn’t share.

But still, the jostling around the sink as they tried to brush their teeth, Claire’s sardonic comments that his skin care routine was more elaborate than hers, negotiating over what to have for breakfast - it should have been annoying, but wasn’t. Perhaps the opportunity to blatantly eye each other up while getting dressed helped, or how helping her to put on a necklace turned into a make-out session that only ended with a firm reminder that she at least could not afford to be late made up for it.

They’d walked each other to their cars, kissed goodbye and wished each other a good day. Jeff was still smiling as he headed out to Greendale.

XXXXXX

“You’re in a good mood,” Annie said. For once, Jeff was early to a study group meeting and the two of them were the only ones there. _ That’s what I get for sticking to Claire’s timetable,  _ he thought to himself.

“Claire stayed the night,” he said, smiling at her.

“Luckyyou…” Annie mumbled under her breath.

“Sorry?” Jeff hadn’t quite caught what she said.

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Annie said. “The others will be here in a few minutes.”

Jeff’s smile chilled by several degrees.

Annie looked around nervously, then conspiratorially inched her chair closer to Jeff.

“I’ve got a plan,” she whispered.

“What is it, Annie?” Jeff fake-whispered back.

Annie rolled her eyes at him.

“You must have noticed Troy and Britta have been making eyes at each other for the last week or so?”

Jeff shrugged noncommittally - paying attention to other people when he didn’t need to really wasn’t one of his strong points.

“Well anyway,” Annie continued. “I think I have a plan to get them together-”

“Annie, that’s genius!” Jeff sat bolt upright. “If they’re together, we’ll be old news!”

Annie nodded happily. “But I’ll need you to distract Abed...”

“What’s going on here?” Shirley said, in her best judgey tone of voice. “Aren’t you two supposed to be seeing other people?”

Jeff and Annie hadn’t noticed how close they’d moved together while they were talking.

“She had something in her eye,” Jeff said blandly. “I was helping her find it.” Annie made a production of rubbing her eye.

“Uh-hmm…” Shirley hummed sceptically while she took her seat.

What’s going on?” Britta said, leading the rest of the group in.

“These two are still making googly eyes-” Shirley said in a disapproving tone of voice.

“Hey!”

“No we’re not!”

Shirley ignored the dual interruption. “-at each other. You’d think now they were both in relationships they’d be more faithful to their partners.”

“I once made out with Marianne Faithfull backstage of a Rolling Stones concert.”

“Gross, Pierce!”

“Eeeeww!”

“What? It came up organically!” Pierce said defensively. Jeff resisted the urge to nod gratefully at the older man for distracting the conversation. “Anyway, now that I’m talking…”

XXXXXX

“What are you doing for Spring break?” Jeff asked Claire when they met in Starbucks later that day.

“Nothing much. Resting, mostly.”

“My elderly, grossly racist and sexist friend has just discovered he owns a six bedroom log cabin on the shore of Lake Azure courtesy of an elaborate tax avoidance scheme cooked up by his even more grossly racist and sexist late father. He’s invited everybody - plus ones included - to spend the first weekend of spring break there. It’d really help me out if you were allergic to fresh air, or something.” Jeff finished dryly.

“What, and miss the opportunity to finally meet your friends?” Claire smiled back at him. “Not a chance.” 

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Jeff said.

XXXXXX

“Will we be sharing a bedroom?” Had been Josh’s response to getting the same news from Annie.

“Josh!” Annie blushed bright red while looking around nervously. “I’ll see what I can do,” she whispered. It was becoming increasingly obvious that Josh was just as itchy as she was.

XXXXXX

“Three hour lunch? Three hour lunch? Three hour lunch?” Jeff had ruthlessly homed in on the key consequence of the dean’s announcement that their biology midterm had been postponed because professor Kane was sick.

“ _ Jeff!!”  _ Annie hissed as he grabbed his books and prepared to bail in Shirley and Pierce’s slipstream. She was nodding her head frantically in the direction of Troy and Britta.

_ Oh, THIS is your plan?  _ Jeff thought, remembering their conversation earlier that week. Sighing to himself, he stopped what he was doing and watched Annie scurry around the table to where Troy and Abed were babbling excitedly about some nonsense or another.

“Maybe we should go to Senor Kevin’s!” Annie interrupted them excitedly. “Britta, didn't you want to try that new cage-free bean burrito?”

“The tortillas are made with micro-financed flour!” The blonde activist excitedly agreed.

“Troy you could drive, you always liked that spiral parking ramp…” Annie’s voice was getting even more positive and excitable, if that was possible.

A huge grin spread across Troy’s face. “You just keep turning left, but you end up up!”

“I can’t go to Senor Kevin’s-” Abed started.

“Jeff!” Annie interrupted him. “Weren’t you saying only the other day how long it had been since you and Abed last had any guy time together?” She threw him her best ‘get with the plan, Jeff!’ glare. “And how much you wanted to do it again?”

Jeff smiled bemusedly at Annie’s intensity. “That’s right buddy,” he said as he walked up to Abed and threw his arm around the younger man’s shoulder. “What do you say we go and shoot some pool, or something.”

“But I-” was all Abed said before Jeff tightened his grip on Abed’s shoulders and started walking out, basically dragging his friend with him.

“How about this,” Annie stopped speaking as she pretended to receive a text message. “Oh no - Josh has had a basketball accident! I’ve got to go - but look, this lunch is such a runaway train that you can’t stop it! Troy, Britta, you go to Señor Kevin's and we’ll catch up later okay? See you guys!” She ran out of the room. 

Troy shrugged his shoulders and looked at Britta. “You want to catch some lunch?”

Britta smiled at him.” Sure,” she said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only a week late, here's the Valentine's Day chapter...

(Spring semester, 5th week back)

Jeff had not had much experience of doing things for Valentine’s Day - before Greendale he’d made sure he was single on the day and he'd either lay low or hit a bar and seek to “cheer up” some poor girl who’d been stood up - there were always some and they tended to be grateful.

Then he’d come to Greendale, and for the first time in his life he had a girlfriend he wanted to make an effort on Valentine’s Day for. He’d almost ruined it with a drunken phone call to Britta Perry, but Britta, as was her wont, had helped him patch things up with Michelle (after first messing with his head by turning up in quite possibly the hottest dress he’d ever seen her wear) and the day had ended well after all. Michelle had dumped him two weeks later of course and Jeff had privately vowed to never get that close to a woman again.

The next year he'd once again tried to be alone, only to end up spending it with Ian Duncan and Ben Chang of all people and which had ended with Change effectively squatting in his apartment for months and trying to get him arrested by framing him for kidnapping a couple of schoolkids - to this day, Jeff had no idea how Chang had managed to avoid prison for that. It had however succeeded in turning Jeff completely off the idea of Valentine’s Day.

In fact, he’d said as much.

“It’s only fair to warn you,” he said to Claire when they met in a bar after work on the Friday night before, “that Valentine’s Day and I have never got on.”

Claire looked at him questioningly. “That sounds like there’s a story there.” She said, taking a sip of her chilled chardonnay.

“Oh yes, take last year for example -” and he ran through the whole gruesome tale, with only mild embellishments that still had Claire wincing sympathetically.

“And that is why-” he said as he wound up the story “-this year I was only planning on chilling out in front of the TV with take-out and a six-pack.” He paused for a beat. “You can join me, if you want.” He added, taking a sip of his designer lager as he did.

“What? And give up the opportunity to spend a night jammed into a packed restaurant on the busiest night of the year waiting ages for barely room temperature food?” Claire’s face softened into a warm smile. “That sounds really nice, Jeff.”

XXXXXX

Annie’s preparations for Valentine’s Day were almost as straightforward - the plan she had been talking the dean into since the night of Britta’s meltdown was finally ready. 

**_My roommates are camping out on campus Tuesday night. I’ll have the apartment to myself for almost 24 hours._ **

Josh sat bolt upright when he read the text, before realising in a moment of frustration he didn’t actually have Annie’s address. Before he could type anything however a new message arrived -

**_Apt 303, 3624 Dresser Avenue_ **

Josh grinned hugely and hurried to type a response. 

**_I finish school at five - I’ll be there by half past:-)_ **

XXXXXX

Jeff had mixed feelings about going to Greendale gym today. It was his usual Monday afternoon session, but part of him really didn’t want to see Josh after finding out he was Annie’s boyfriend. The truth of the matter was that Jeff had meant what he said about his meltdown over Rich not being his finest moment (his therapist had helped him come to that realisation at least) and he was trying really hard to be happy for her, he really was, even if only for Claire’s sake - but he’d also meant what he said about how it would be easier for him if her boyfriend remained an abstract concept to him rather than a guy he knew and even to some extent liked.

In the end it had been his mulish determination to not seem afraid of confrontation that tipped the balance.  _ Who knows? Maybe the kid will be afraid of running into me, _ he thought as he walked through the door.

Josh wasn’t. “Jeff,” he said cautiously as he stopped what he was doing to acknowledge the other man’s arrival.

“Josh,” Jeff acknowledged him back equally laconically. He  _ almost  _ left it at that, but part of him really needed to say something. “We need to talk,” he sighed.

Josh stood up to his full height - still short of Jeff’s - and flexed slightly. “Is this the ‘I saw her first, back off’ talk, Jeff? Because that isn’t happening.”

“What? No!” Jeff was momentarily thrown off balance.

“Then what is it?”

Jeff was stopped cold by the deceptively simple question.  _ How do you describe Annie Edison in a handful of sentences in a way that even begins to do her justice? _ He paused for a moment, running his hand through his hair as though it would help him think.

“It’s like this,” he said. “We’ve been friends for almost three years. We’ve studied together, won debates, worked on the school newspaper-”

“Kissed.” Josh interrupted sternly.

“ _ What?  _ She told you that?” Josh nodded.

“Then she also told you that in the cold light of day we agreed it was a mistake and that we were better as friends and have been ever since.” In truth, Jeff knew nothing of the sort - he remembered what he’d said to Annie and just assumed she’d said the same thing.

Reluctantly, Josh nodded again.

"What I’m trying to say is that she’s one of my closest friends and I care that she’s safe and happy.” Jeff finally managed to say. “If you keep her safe and make her happy then you and I are going to be okay.  _ Are  _ we going to be okay Josh?”

Josh came to a decision. He took a step closer to Jeff and held out his hand. “That was pretty much my plan, Jeff.” He said.

Jeff nodded, stepped a pace closer himself and took the offered hand. “In that case, I’ll make the same deal with you that I did with her - I’m willing to be happy for you, but I do not need to know the details.”

“Deal, Jeff.” Josh said. He paused for a moment. “You know I used to bend iron bars for a living, right? You’re not going to crush my hand.”

Jeff let go with a somewhat fixed grin. “I don’t know about you, but I need to lift some weights.”

“Damn, yes.”

XXXXXX

Jeff got out of his car at the start of yet another day at Greendale and caught himself looking around the car park before he started to walk. It took him a moment to realise why, but then it hit him - he’d got sufficiently used to Annie being there at the same time that he was starting to notice when she wasn’t. He shook his head ruefully and started walking.

“Hi Jeff!” A cheery voice called out. 

_ Speak of the - ridiculously perky brunette -  _ he allowed a small smile to spread over his face. “Annie,” he said casually. “What can I do for you?”

“Oh, just heading in at the same time as you,” she smiled up at him. “Josh said you guys talked yesterday,” her face took on a more serious expression.  “I don’t need people looking after me Jeff,” her face was now completely serious. “I can look after myself.”

_ Oh, crap.  _ Jeff thought to himself. “No you don’t, and yes you can.” He said simply.

“Then what-” Annie stopped dead suddenly and grabbed Jeff’s arm, forcing him to pivot and face her. “Were you talking to Josh about?”

“Annie,” Jeff took hold of both her shoulders and looked her squarely in the eye. “The thing you need to get used to is there are people in your life who like you and care about you. If Josh is going to be a part of your life then he should know that too. That’s all. Josh and I had a talk, and I told him the same thing I did you - I’m happy for you guys but I really don’t need to know the details.” He let go of her shoulders as he finished.

Annie’s hard expression had softened while he talked. “Josh said something similar,” she said. I just wanted to, well, you know-”

“Confirm he was telling the truth.”

“I know  _ he _ was - I wanted to find out if you were willing to.”

“Ouch Annie,” Jeff winced in mock pain.

She beamed up at him. “So, what will you be doing for Valentine’s Day?” She said as they resumed walking in the direction of the library.

“Having a quiet night in with my girlfriend. You?”

“Same.”

“Does Josh know you have a girlfriend?” He smirked at her.

“ _ JEFF!!”  _ Annie gasped in shock as she swatted him on the arm.

XXXXXX

Claire paused briefly in front of Jeff’s door to check her appearance - despite their conversation the previous Friday she would have been disappointed if Jeff had literally only planned take-out and chill, so she’d put on a nice dress and shoes, let her hair down and refreshed her make-up - when she decided it was satisfactory she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Hi,” Jeff said as he opened the door. He allowed himself a brief moment of appreciation for Claire’s efforts, then beckoned her inside.

_ So, not take-out and chill then,  _ she thought as she stepped through the door. Jeff had broken a light sweat for the evening - he’d changed into a smart shirt and trousers, the room was lit by candle-light and there was a vase of roses on the dining table. The sound of light jazz was playing in the background.

“This is really nice, Jeff.” She said with a soft smile. “Here-” she passed him a bottle of white wine.

He took the bottle, pulled the cork and poured out two glasses. “Food will be ready in-” he looked at his watch “-fifteen minutes.” 

He handed her a glass. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said as he clinked his to hers.

XXXXXX

Josh looked at the “303” on the door and fought down a sudden rush of nerves. He raised his fist and knocked three times on the door.

“Josh!” Annie cried, her face shining like the sun as she opened the door. “Welcome to Casa de… Annie,” she was still smiling.

Josh kicked the door shut. “I got you these…” he said, handing her a bunch of roses he’d picked up from a gas station. _ I hope they’re okay… _

_ I can’t remember the last time somebody bought me flowers.  _ “Aaaaw, they’re lovely!” She took them from him and skipped over to the kitchen area to put them in a jug and water.

“Would you like takeout?” She said as she was performing the simple task. “We can order Chinese, or pizza or…”

Josh followed her into the kitchen and gathered her into his arms as she finished. “Definitely ‘or’,” he said as he closed in for a kiss.

Annie squeaked suddenly with surprise as Josh’s hands - which had slipped downwards to caress her thighs - suddenly took a firm grip and lifted her upwards onto the breakfast bar. He stepped inwards, parting her knees as he did so. As his hands changed position again to start pushing the hem of her dress upwards she learned forwards, took his face in both of her hands and closed in for an even deeper and more passionate kiss.

XXXXXX

“I have a present for you,” Jeff said after he’d cleared the dessert plates away and served cocktails. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box, h e seemed to be suppressing a small smile.

“Jeff? What is this-” she stopped talking as she opened the box, revealing a hammered silver bracelet. “Oh -it’s beautiful!”

“Look closer,” the smile he was suppressing had turned into a suppressed smirk.

Claire turned it over in her hands and spotted some engraving on the inside. “‘Teachers are not just for children’?” She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You know what people will think if I tell them my boyfriend gave me this, right?”

Will that be a problem?” He said questioningly.

“No, it won’t”. She smiled softly at him as she slipped it onto her wrist.  “You know I would have been happy with chocolates, right?”

XXXXXX

They did make it to her bedroom eventually, though most of their clothes didn’t. The sex had been full of energy and enthusiasm, and Josh had been delighted to discover that Annie’s energy, commitment and passion to succeed was not something that was confined to school work. He had no idea how long it had been - all he knew was that he was exhausted and thoroughly at peace with the world as he recovered and looked down slightly at an equally naked Annie who was softly caressing his chest as though trying to convince herself this had really happened.

As though sensing his regard, she tilted her head to look at him. “What are you thinking?” She said.

He looked fondly back at her. “I’m thinking I’m sorry it took us over a month to get this far, but it was worth the wait. You?”

“I’m thinking I’m really going to have to give the kitchen counter a deep clean before my roommates come back _ , _ ” she replied, grinning happily at him as he laughed with surprise in response.

“I don’t know about you,” Josh said. “But awesome as this has been, you’ve worn me out and I’m -” 

“Starting to feel really hungry and could do with some take-out?” Annie abruptly sat up in bed, Josh blatantly enjoyed the view. 

“I’m up here, mister.” She said, gently swatting him on the chest.

Josh grinned at her. “You read my mind - I’d kill for carbs right now.” 

“I’ll get some menus -” Annie jumped out of bed. Josh watched her run out of the room, grabbing a bathrobe on the way. When she left he got up himself, grabbed a spare robe (too small for him and with flowers) and followed her out.

XXXXXX

Carefully, so as not to disturb Claire, Jeff had got up first and gone for a brisk run. By the time he got back she had risen and put on one of her nightshirts - they had long since passed the point of her needing to borrow his stuff after an overnight stay - and was working on breakfast. She cheerfully wished him good morning as he came back, by way of reply he jogged over and kissed her soundly before saying it back.

“Ew, sweat!” She said in a grossed out tone of voice. “Go and have a shower you lunk. I’ll be finished by the time you are.”

Jeff just grinned and peeled off his shirt as he swaggered to the bathroom. Claire allowed herself to watch him go, a soft smile on her face.

XXXXXX

Annie was also up first. She sat up in bed, bedsheets modestly tucked into her armpits and just looked at Josh for a moment, thoughts coming unbidden of the night just past.  _ I finally understand why people get so excited about sex,  _ she found herself thinking.  _ Vaughn was such a disappointment,  _ but she sternly banished all thoughts of anybody else and leaned over to kiss Josh on his shoulder, then again on his neck and finally, as he woke up and smiled at her, on the lips.

“Annie, please don't tell me you’re ready to go again...” He said in a mock-despairing tone of voice as he pulled her towards him. Then he sat up, a worried frown on his face as he saw the daylight streaming through the window. “What time is it?” He frowned.

Annie looked confused for a moment and then gasped in horror as she saw the clock. “It’s ten past eight! I’ve got study group at nine!”

“And I’ve got Tech Math!” Josh yelped as he dived out of bed and started frantically scrambling around for his clothes. “Do you know where my shirt ended up?”

“I was busy at the time!”

Josh paused for a second in the doorway to her room. “Yeah, me too.” He smiled softly at her. She returned the smile.

“Ah - there it is.” He’d spotted it in a crumpled pile on the dining table. He hurriedly pulled it on and recovered his jeans from where they’d come off and hopped as he put them on.

“I’ll see you in bookkeeping babe,” he said, snatching one final kiss from Annie on his way out, grabbing his shoes and jacket on the way.

“It’s a date… babe,” Annie called after him on his way out, still hopping as he tried to run and put his shoes on at the same time.  _ I need a more original term of endearment,  _ she thought dazedly.

She collected her thoughts slightly.  _ Unfortunately there’s something I need to do first,  _ she sighed to herself as she fetched her box of cleaning products from under the sink.

XXXXXX

“Annie, you’re late.” Shirley said disapprovingly to the one member of the study group she could usually rely on to be on time.

“I’m sorry, but-” Annie was interrupted before she could think of an excuse.

“Annie had the apartment to herself last night.” Abed said. “It was Valentine’s Day, she probably had her boyfriend over and lost track of time.”

“Abed!” Annie cried.

“Why would that make you lose - oooh!” Troy looked shocked.

“Troy!” Annie was still yelling.

“Oh Annie…” Shirley was shaking her head.

“I lost track of time because I was busy cleaning the breakfast bar!” A panic-stricken Annie yelled.

There was stunned silence for a moment. Then - 

“We eat there…” Troy whimpered.

“You  _ had sex  _ on a surface where food is prepared??” Britta yelled.

Jeff froze as the room erupted into chaos.  _ I knew this was going to happen at some point,  _ he thought to himself.  _ I promised I was going to be happy for her. _ Discreetly, he performed a breathing exercise his therapist had recommended he do whenever he felt a panic attack build. As he mastered himself, he carefully looked around the room, and felt a sudden twinge of pity as he saw Annie visibly shrivel under the group's outburst.

“Guys.” He said. “GUYS!” He repeated louder. “Remember what we said about giving Annie some privacy?”

He glared the study group into relative silence.

“And Annie,” he finally said when he got it. “Do you remember what  _ we  _ said about details?” 

“Sorry Jeff,” she whispered, but there was a grateful smile on her face.

Jeff nodded and smiled softly back at her. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this for the second time in two weeks, but shouldn’t we be studying?” He sighed. “It really must be the darkest timeline if  _ I’m  _ the one who has to remind you all of that.”

“Coo-”

“ShutupAbed.”

“Sorry Jeff.”

Jeff’s phone vibrated.

**_Annie: Thank you:-)_ **


End file.
